According to reports, Samaras began feeling dizzy and unwell before being taken to Sismanogleio Hospital in Athens, where she underwent a cardiological examination. Although a neurologist was on duty, doctors decided she should be transferred to Evangelismos Hospital, as Sismanogleio does not have a fully equipped neurology clinic. During the intake process at Evangelismos, she suffered a seizure, was intubated, and shortly afterwards went into cardiac arrest. For 50 minutes, doctors attempted to resuscitate her, but their efforts were unsuccessful.
Panagiotis Vlachoyiannopoulos, professor of pathology and immunology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said that based on the information so far, transferring a patient in the middle of an active seizure is considered poor medical practice, as such cases should first be stabilised on site. The incident, he added, revealed serious weaknesses in the system’s readiness and coordination.
Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis stated that Samaras had been examined by a neurologist at Sismanogleio, but her transfer was deemed necessary due to the lack of a neurology clinic there. He said the transfer was carried out safely and that her cardiac arrest occurred after her arrival at Evangelismos. The minister also appealed for respect toward the family and urged that political disputes be avoided in the wake of the tragedy.
The case has drawn fresh attention to long-standing issues within Greece’s National Health System, including infrastructure shortages, the absence of key specialties even in major hospitals, and the frequent need to transfer patients between facilities, sometimes in critical condition. The fact that two of Athens’s leading hospitals had to share responsibility for an acute medical emergency, yet were unable to avert the fatal outcome, has raised difficult questions about the system’s ability to protect lives.
Samaras’s death has prompted an outpouring of condolences from across Greece’s political and state leadership, while also sparking renewed concern over the fragility of the country’s healthcare system — a system that, as this tragedy underscores, can leave even the most prominent citizens unprotected.
